Ad Astra
by Jade Wylkyns
Summary: On his parents' insistence, Noah Ryoma Echizen moved to Japan for a year, leaving his best friend behind. But he will let nothing get in the way of his tennis. No, he was going to reach for the stars and he would scream 'accipe hoc'  trans: take that


**Hey guys, here's another story for Prince of Tennis. Okay, so this story contains some OCs, but they will NOT be central to the plot. They are just Ryoma's friends. And as you might find out as you keep reading, Noah that is first introduced in the story is actually Ryoma. I just gave him an English name because in my story, he was born in USA (I'm not sure if that's the case in the canon) and it just kind of made sense that he would have an English name or something.**

**This is kind of like a personal celebration for my best friend's wins in her tennis matches. She is amazing, nationally ranked in top 20 or 30 or something like that, and she's the freshman star (the only freshman actually) of my high school's Girl's Varsity Tennis. Yeah, go freshmen~!**

**I decided to name my chapters with Latin. I'm taking Latin at school and I was like, what the hell, Latin's cool. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Latin, I'll put up the translation next to it in parenthesis, though I think everyone should try their hands on Latin.**

**Anyways, enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Ad Astra (translation: To the stars)<strong>

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><p><strong>I. ab initio (translation: from the beginning)<strong>

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><p>School was a pretty boring place for an energetic seven-year-old like Noah, but the law required that he sat through his class thus why he sat slumped in his chair, twisting and turning every now and then. The school day had just started, and despite being in the middle of first trimester, the class was noisy and restless despite having only fourteen kids in it as the teacher had stepped out for some reason Noah didn't care to know. Noah would much rather be playing tennis against his dad then to have to sit through his classes, but his mom had always emphasized the importance of school for a growing children like him. His silent complaints were subdued by the sudden motion at the front of the class: the door slowly swung open as Miss Holton came back with a small boy in tow.<p>

"Hello, class. We have a new addition to our class today. His name is Noah Schwarz, and please make him feel welcomed. He's from…" Miss Holton turned expectantly to the boy whose blond bangs were casting shadow on his forehead but not quite reaching the eyes.

"New Jersey. Alpine, New Jersey," the boy spoke as he fidgeted with his hands and started twisting his right ankle in a circular motion against the ground.

"Yes, from New Jersey, and so he is unfamiliar with Irvine and our school. So of course, I will assign a guide for him to show him where the restrooms are and the other places," Miss Holton looked at each of the fourteen restless children before smiling, "Well, since we have another Noah, why don't we have our other Noah show this Noah around!" Miss Holton clapped. "Noah Echizen, could you please show Noah around for the day?"

"Uhhh… sure," Noah replied hesitantly.

"That's great. Noah, why don't you go sit over at the empty desk by Noah Echizen. Since you guys are both Noah, I guess I'll just call you guys Noah E. and Noah S." Miss Holton looked pleased at how things turned out and directed the new Noah to the empty seat. "Now that we're all set, let's get the ball rolling. So today, we will be learning…"

**~ xXx ~**

The recess bell rang.

Noah Echizen was feeling a bit awkward. What was he supposed to do with a kid who's never even been to California until now? It wasn't like he was especially a social kid, anyways.

"Uh, so you're Noah Echizen, right?" a hesitant voice asked and Noah looked to find the voice belong to none other than the new kid, Noah.

"Yeah. I guess I should just show you around and stuff, huh? Well… well, let's go then."

…

"So what was it like in New Jersey?" Noah Echizen asked.

"Well, the weather's a bit to the extreme, but it's a lot like here in late spring and early summer. I haven't been here for that long."

"Do you play any sports?"

"Uh, I was in the tennis team in Alpine. I'm thinking of joining the local tennis team here. It's called Woodbridge Tennis Team or something like that," Noah Schwarz answered.

"You play tennis? Me too!" Noah E. was getting excited. He wondered if the new kid was really good.

"Seriously? That's awesome. Hey, we should play sometime."

"Yeah, sure."

"So where do you live?"

"28 Boulder View. A bit inside Shady Canyon."

"Hey, you live in Shady Canyon too? Me too! I live on the same street. Mine's 36 Boulder View."

"That's great. Let's hang out sometime and hit some balls."

"Sure. Are you free today?"

"Yeah. At 3:30?"

"Awesome. Where do you wanna meet?" Noah Schwarz asked.

"Why don't we do it at my place. We have a private tennis court."

"Man, you're lucky. There's none at my place."

"Yeah… Hey, so 3:30?"

"Oki Doc."

**~ xXx ~**

The doorbell rang. The maid went to get the door and was face to face with Noah Schwarz who was all dressed up in his tennis gear, accompanied by his mom.

"Hi, you must be Noah and you his mom. I'm Jessica and I work for the Echizens," the maid spoke in a friendly voice.

"Nice to meet you, Jessica. I'm Natasha," Noah's mom smiled.

"Please come in this way. Noah is just getting ready up in his room. Mrs. Echizen is in the reception room," Jessica told them in an amiable way as she led them to the atrium.

As the three entered the atrium, two elegantly dressed ladies stood up from the couch to greet them.

"Mrs. Echizen, Mrs. Itera, this is Noah Schwarz and his mom, Natasha," Jessica introduced them.

"Thank you, Jessica. Nice to meet you, Noah, Mrs. Schwarz." Mrs. Echizen was a slight woman but by no means short. She was of medium height, maybe five feet and four or five, with lean body and a very pleasant smile. She had a slight oriental look, but overall, she looked very much Caucasian or Hispanic. Mrs. Schwarz guessed her to be a half-half. "I'm Mercariel, but please just call me Riel."

"And please call me Tasha," Mrs. Schwarz responded.

"Of course, Tasha. This is my friend, Mariko Itera. Her daughter is in the same class as our sons, Yumi." Riel introduced herself and her friend.

"Hello, Mrs. Itera, how do you do?" Tasha asked politely.

"Good, thank you, and you can just call me Marie," Mrs. Itera told her. "Is your son by any chance joining a tennis club around here?

"We're not sure but we're thinking about joining the Woodbridge Tennis Club. I heard they have some amazing players there," Tasha replied.

"That's great! My daughter is also in the club. It'll be great if your Noah joins the club as well," Marie laughed. "Riel, Noah sure is taking some time, don't you think?"

"Sorry for keeping you and Noah waiting, Tasha. I'm afraid my son is taking a bit of time up in his room. He was very excited when he came home, telling me about a new student who also was interested in tennis. My son hasn't played very often against kids his age, you see, just Yumi, Yumi's brother, his dad, and his older brother, and just couple of his brother's friends, so this is all new to him," Riel explained.

"Ah, of course. My Noah here started getting ready for the match as soon as he came home, telling me all about this cool guy in his class who also played tennis. So you have another son?" Tasha asked her as she ruffled her son's blond locks despite his meek protests.

"Well, yes. He's a lovely boy, thirteen years old. Joshua. Joshua and Noah play tennis for hours every day, actually. One of Noah's dreams is to defeat Joshua in tennis, but I'm afraid he still has quite a way to go."

"I'll beat him someday. You just wait, mom," a new voice entered the fray. It was Noah Echizen dressed in his full tennis outfit with his tennis racket in his hand.

"Noah, what took you so long?" Riel frowned.

"Well, mom, I couldn't find the necklace that Joshua gave me, but I found it so it's alright."

"Next time, make sure you're putting your stuff in right places, a'right? Anyways, this is Mrs. Schwarz, Mrs. Schwarz, this is my son, Noah."

"Hi, Mrs. Schwarz."

"Hi, Noah," Tasha smiled at the excited boy.

"So, Noah, let's go hit some balls," Noah E. suggested to his new friend who was standing awkwardly by his mom.

"Absolutely," Noah S. replied, his shyness all gone and replaced with excitement.

"But Noah, it's not polite to just drag off your guests without offering them so refreshments or something," Riel protested.

"Mom, later! Come on, Noah, the court's just over there," Noah E. ran over to the court with the other Noah following, just as excited.

"Oh, dear boys. You can't do anything with them," Riel sighed.

"That's so true," Tasha agreed.

"Indeed," added Marie.

"Do you have any sons of your own?" Tasha asked.

"Yes, just one. He's a naughty ten-year-old, my Kei."

"I'm sure he's just fine. Does he play tennis also?"

"Indeed yes."

"Why, he is one of the top players of his age in the world," Riel laughed as Marie smiled meekly.

"That's so awesome. Wow, I never thought I'll meet so many top players here. I'm really glad we moved here."

"Why don't we just have some tea or coffee and just talk, if you don't have anything too urgent to tend to, that is?" Riel suggested.

"I'm all free."

"Tea or coffee?"

"Coffee, please."

**~ xXx ~**

The new boy was good, he had to give him that much. Noah had only played only against his dad and Joshua, so he didn't know a whole lot about how good guys were at his age, but he had watched quite a few games and the new boy was better than anyone around his age he had watched play. He was no way as good as his dad or Joshua – that was, in Noah's opinion, practically impossible – but he _was_ almost as good as, if not just as good as, Noah himself. That thought was actually quite humbling. All the kids he'd watched play, he knew that he could defeat them all. They were bad to the point they were almost pathetic, but this new boy was talented. His every stroke was well aimed, just like Noah's own. It was truly exciting to finally meet a person that could equal him in tennis and of same age.

"You both Noahs, there's some ice cream here. Take some break," Riel's voice called out from inside the house.

"Hey, wanna go?" Noah E. asked, all sweaty from the tennis and the sun.

"Yeah. I could most definitely use some ice cream in my stomach," Noah S. replied with a wide grin.

**~ xXx ~**

"Man, that was some tennis, huh?"

"That was really fun. We should do this again, a lot," Noah E. grinned.

"Yeah!"

"Hey, maybe you can play against my brother sometime. He wipes the court with me. It'll be a nice change to watch him do the same to you," Noah E. laughed and Noah S. joined in.

"Ha, I bet I can last longer against him than you can."

"Is that a challenge?"

"Well, you're on."

**~ xXx ~**

"Noah!" a girl called out from outside as Noah E. and Noah S. sat reclining on Noah E.'s couch.

"Is that Yumi?" Noah S. asked. He had been in Irvine for just over a month and he had only been recently introduced to the tennis girl, Yumi.

"Probably. The only other person who could possibly go that high is Haylene and I don't think it's Haylene," Noah E. replied.

"Noah, I'm waiting. Yumi's over at the court already and we've been waiting for like forever!" the voice repeated again in even higher pitch.

"… or not," Noah E. amended.

"Apparently," Noah S. grinned.

Haylene was another person that Noah S. had learned to be familiar with. She was the best friend of Yumi and according to her, it was the coolest name ever because it could be used as her Korean name and English name. Being a Korean American, her name was originally Ha Lin and her mom had changed it to fit the American style. Personally, neither of the Noahs saw the big deal about it.

She was not a tennis player – in fact, she was nearly horrendous in tennis, having never learned how to even grip a racket, but she sure was sporty. Her reflexes were simply amazing and her stamina was high. She was a sports player, after all, just not a tennis player. Instead, she was a swimmer. A nationally ranked #1 swimmer, excluding a few #2s and #3s in couple events. She was privately coached by her mom who was an Olympic gold medalist back in her teens but quit the life of professional swimmer when she entered Harvard Medical School where she had befriend Riel Echizen, a fellow graduate student. She didn't live on the same street as the Noahs, but her house was just a five-minute walk away, almost as close as Yumi's house to the Noahs'.

Noah E. and Noah S. walked over to the tennis court with their bags slung over their shoulders. The court was not too far away, and was one that they sometimes used when Noah E.'s brother, Joshua, was using the private one. Yumi and Haylene were waiting for them, leaning against the bench.

"You are late, misters," Haylene announced.

"I'm most terribly sorry, Miss," Noah S. bowed exaggeratedly and Noah E. and Yumi laughed, causing Haylene to mock-scowl.

"That is _not_ funny, you know."

"Of course not, my lady."

"Oh dear, what will I do with you," Haylene sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.

"Well, guys, wanna get started or would you like to banter a bit longer?" Yumi asked her large eyes open wide in a fake innocent look.

"Wow, Yumi. You're such a spoilsport," Haylene stuck out her tongue at her best friend.

"That's why I'm so awesome," Yumi told her, making faces.

"Are we playing or not?" Noah E. asked amusedly.

"Screw you," Haylene laughed.

**~ xXx ~**

"Hey, we should create some kind of nickname for us so we actually know who people are talking to," Noah S. suggested.

Noah E. and Noah S. were bouncing on Noah S.'s bed. The two had become such a close friends over the past year that people just started calling them the Noahs. The third grade had just started and the two were best of the best friends.

"But why do we need them?"

"'Cause, you know, when we become all famous, people need to know who's cheering for whom. Just imagine, we'll be like the next Federer, no, Nadal. If they just say the Noah, then they won't know exactly who they're talking about, and I'd rather be called the Noah then the Schwarz, kinda like Rafa. Then when we play the match like Nadal and Federer, they will be like, 'look, here comes the Noahs,' and… well, I don't know, but I think it'll be awesome to make up some nicknames."

"That makes sense. Hey so how do you wanna name ourselves?"

"Hmm, it has to be something that is easy to call out. Nothing too long."

"What about our middle names? Maybe we can use that to make up the nicknames," Noah E. suggested.

"That sounds cool. My middle name's Terrell. Now that we think about it, you never told me your middle name." Noah S. observed.

"Well, that never came up, really. Mine is Ryoma."

"Ryoma? That sounds pretty unique."

"Says a guy with middle name of Terrell," Noah E. smirked.

"Hey's that's just my German name. I'm German-American," Noah S. protested.

"Well, I'm Japanese-American and Ryoma's my Japanese name."

"Fine, fine. So how should we use it to create our nicknames?"

"Why don't we take the first couple letters from our first and middle names and mash it up?"

"Okay, so mine's No… NoTe?"

"No, I think NoTa sounds cooler. Yeah, NoTa Schwarz sounds awesome. So, then mine becomes… NoRyo… no, it should be NoRo. Ha, that actually works really well. You'll be NoTa Schwarz and I'll be NoRo Echizen," Noah E., now nicknamed NoRo, gave a proud smile.

"That's really awesome. NoRo and NoTa. The Noahs are going to pave a new road in the world of tennis!"

**~ xXx ~**

NoRo and NoTa were now ten and eleven years old, NoTa having been born a year before on December 30th, and finally on their last year in the Bonita Canyon Elementary School. They were excited, but it wasn't quite exactly about being nearly done with their elementary school. As anyone who knew them well might have guessed, it was about tennis. After all, they were going to be competing in the Junior Orange Bowl not only as singles player but also doubles as well. They had swept the Junior Orange Bowl U12 the year before as well, with NoRo winning the title and NoTa in third place. They had gone to the "Little Mo" and NoRo was the Boys 11 Champion, and NoTa the Boys 11 finalist. The year before that, though, NoTa was the Boys 10 Champion and No Ro was the finalist.

But this was going to be their first time playing doubles in an _international_ tournament. Sure, they played doubles almost every day against NoRo's dad but this was their first time in tournament that actually counted, of course, except the ones that had led up this culmination. So of course they were excited.

Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship. NoRo and NoTa were both competing as U14 singles as well as U14 doubles. And they were going to win.

**~ xXx ~**

NoRo, NoTa, and Yumi were all playing in the Junior Orange Bowl while Kei and Joshua were playing in the Dunlop Orange Bowl. This year was special. After this year, Joshua was going to go away to Harvard, continuing the Harvard legacy set by NoRo's mom and her parents, Kei was going to enter high school, and NoRo, NoTa, Yumi, and Haylene were all going to middle school. They will be done with Bonita Canyon Elementary School and will be moving on to Rancho San Joaquin Middle School. But before that, they were going to sweep all the tennis championships United States had to offer.

**~ xXx ~**

It was a difficult game. In fact, it was one of the most difficult games NoRo and NoTa had faced. But then again, they were only ten and eleven, and they were facing against thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds. NoTa had won the championship, but NoRo had ended up as the finalist and he vowed to defeat NoTa next year. Yumi had won her U14 girls as expected of #1 in the States of her age group, though it was only NoRo, NoTa, Haylene, and couple others who absolutely believed she would win.

But that wasn't the most important part. The most important part was that the Noahs had won their international championship in doubles. Sure, the opponents were incredibly strong, but they found that their daily doubles practices against NoRo's dad, Joshua, and Kei had exponentially improved their doubles skills. They were an invincible team and their trophies sat proudly in their rooms. It had shocked the tennis community to have a team of ten- and eleven-year-olds defeat the team of fourteen-year-olds, and the Noahs laughed when their match made a headline in the tennis magazine. NoRo and NoTa back-to-back with their tennis rackets, the cover screaming 'NoRo and NoTa, the invincible pair.'

They were especially proud of their nicknames that finally made its way on the paper. Now the tennis community was warned. The Noahs were coming.

**~ xXx ~**

"Noah, come down here for a sec. Your dad and I have something to talk to you about," Riel called out from the living room.

"Coming, mom."

Footsteps were heard on the stairs and soon Noah appeared in the living room where Riel and Nanjiro, or Jiro as most called him, were sitting on the couches.

"Noah, please take a seat," Riel told him and Noah followed his mother's words.

"What do you want to talk to me about?" Noah didn't know what his parents might have to talk to him about. He was maintaining a straight A's with some help of Haylene and he was doing just fine with his tennis. Maybe he was entering another tournament or something, Noah suspected.

"Noah, your mom and I had talked for a while about this and I think it will be most beneficial for you to get acquainted with your heritage. I know that you can speak Japanese with little problem and all that, but you've never been to Japan and you'll be too busy once you enter high school. So we were thinking of spending maybe a year or so in Japan," Jiro explained.

"Wait, but what about my tennis?" Noah asked, confusion swirling in his head.

"Well, there is a school that I attended when I was in middle school and they have an amazing tennis team, I heard. I know the coach very well and I think you'll learn a lot there as well. And as for your tournaments, we can just fly back here for the major tournaments like Junior Orange Bowl," Jiro replied.

"What about my friends? All my friends are here, I've never even been to Japan, and I wanna go to Rancho with NoTa, Yumi, and Haylene!"

"Noah, honey, I know that you really love it here but I don't want you to lose your heritage. After a year, we can come back here, honey," Riel told him.

After a moment of silence, Noah conceded in a subdued voice, "Okay, mom."

"Oh and honey, Kei and Yumi will be coming with us, if that's any consolation. You know how their dad gets a bit… violent when it comes to winning and losing, and Marie was afraid Kei is starting to hate tennis and everything else. So she was going to send the two to Japan for a while anyways, and when she heard that we were considering of visiting Japan for a while, she asked us if we could keep an eye out for them. And moreover, NoTa is gonna come visit you at around May or June and maybe even attend the same school during his stay," Riel smiled affectionately.

"Oh, really? Okay then," Noah's expression brightened up considerably. "When are we leaving?"

"March 16th. The school year starts on April 1st. You'll be entering Seishun Gakuen as a 7th grader. Seishun Gakuen is a private school with a famed tennis team. Your dad attended Seishun Gakuen when he was a middle schooler, honey," Riel explained to him. "So we need to start packing. Why don't you get your stuff all packed too?"

"Okay."

**~ xXx ~**

Kei and Yumi were going to live with him. Noah was actually pretty excited about that. Now, he could play tennis with Kei every day – not that he didn't do it already, but it wasn't the same thing as living together – and with Yumi as well. The only downside was that he won't be able to play against NoTa. But when NoTa comes visit him in May or June, they could play plenty.

His mom had told him that it was a perfect opportunity to use his middle name. Personally, he thought it was pretty silly. He much preferred his first name and his nickname, but he had a Japanese name and besides, people would recognize him as _the_ Noah Echizen and he didn't want unnecessary attention.

Ryoma. It sounded funny in his mouth. Ryoma Echizen. No, Echizen Ryoma. He thought Noah Ryoma Echizen sounded much better than Echizen Ryoma, but Echizen Ryoma it was. He'll just have to wait 'til he got back to use his real name again.

**~ xXx ~**

The flight to Japan was smooth but after the long hours of sitting in the airplane, Kei, Noah – now Ryoma – and Yumi were all slightly grumpy with disheveled hair. They were tired and they all slept on the airport bus which had gotten them home too fast for their likings – they wanted some more sleep.

The Echizens were rich – how could they not be what with Jiro being ex-pro and Riel being a neurosurgeon – and the house was huge despite being in Tokyo, possibly the most crowded place on Earth. The three all had their own rooms and in another room belonged to Noah's cousin, Nanako, who was a college student attending Tokyo University. Even with another room taken by Noah's parents, there still were two guestrooms that Noah was glad to find since that meant NoTa could stay at his place during his visit.

Noah wondered how his school was going to be like. Kei, Yumi, and he were all going to attend Seishun Gakuen, or Seigaku, as his dad called it. He heard that the tennis club there was good, but Kei told him that he probably won't be joining the tennis club because he just wanted some break from tennis and he wasn't going to start playing as soon as he lands in Japan. And Noah respected that. Kei and Yumi's dad was very competitive and he would use violence on them when they messed up their games. He suspected that Kei was starting to hate tennis and his suspicion was confirmed just a couple days ago, which he thought was really sad. Kei was one of those true tennis geniuses and Noah knew that if he quit tennis now, the tennis community would lose a great player.

Yumi was going to do fine. She was a cheerful, outgoing girl and Noah had a suspicion that she will instantly be on the student council, if they even had one in Seigaku. Her tennis was still just fine, unaffected by her dad, and Noah knew that she was going to do just fine. He just had himself to worry about. He was not very social or outgoing, all he really cared about was his tennis, and there wasn't a whole lot that was good about him.

But oh well, he would just have to deal with it when the time came. For now, he was going to enjoy his week with Yumi and Kei.

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><p><strong>So how'd you all like it? As I said before, the OCs are NOT going to be central to the plot. Actually couple of the OCs were (more like most of them) modeled after people I know quite well, like my best friend and her family, myself (yes, the amazing Korean girl Haylene. I'm a swimmer too so I was like, what the hell, I might just as well throw a swimmer in that fray), and couple others. The addresses are real so please don't send any mails there.<strong>

**For those of you who think the houses are ridiculously rich kind or something like that, that is not true, I have lots of friends who live in those kinds of places, and I've been to Shady Canyon. The people living in Shady Canyon have personal cooks or private chefs, about half dozen maids, and sometimes even a chauffeur. It's not weird at all. And since Riel is a neurosurgeon and Jiro was a pro tennis player, I saw no reason for them to not be able to afford those houses. They are about 15-20 million dollars and they could most definitely afford that money. Riel works at LA, for those of you wondering where she works. It's an hour drive and neurosurgeons have shorter work hours with possibly the highest pay doctors get.**

**Thanks for reading and please review!**

**Jade**


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